Touring Leicester doesn’t have to be an expensive affair. There are plenty of activities and things to see, even on a tight budget. Even better, there are amazing places you can go to that are free. You won’t have to spend a penny, but you will still have fun and soak loads of information about the city. At Midlands Care Homes Leicester, we break down the 5 free things to do in Leicester!
Why not read: Things to do in Leicester
Leicester Museum and Art Gallery
The Leicester Museum and Art Gallery is ranked the second most visited attraction in the Midlands. The family-friendly museum features galleries that include ancient Egypt, Dinosaurs, the Victorian Art Gallery, the Wild Space, the Arts & Crafts Gallery, Picasso Ceramics, and so much more.
There are plenty of temporary exhibits hosted by the gallery that feature works from the collections and exhibitions from national museums.
Other activities within the museum include entertaining talks, lunchtime concerts and children’s handling sessions. The venue is also licensed for wedding and civil ceremonies in case you want an out of the box wedding venue that will captivate guests and show them what Leicester has to offer all in one.
The Guildhall
The Leicester Guildhall dates back to 1390 when the Great Hall was built as a meeting place and a banquet hall for Corpus Christi’s Guildhall. For over six centuries, the hall was used for various activities, even hosting celebrations and performances engraving English history.
One of the most notable celebrations held at the Guildhall was the by the city celebrating the defeat of the Spanish Armada by Elizabeth I’s navy in 1588.
Fifty years later, the Guildhall was attacked by the Royalist troops and looted together with the wider Leicester.
Many centuries after, the Guildhall stands, renovated and protected by Grade I listed status. It’s one of the many stars of Leicester’s entertainment scene. You can pop by for the musical concerts, comedy gigs, and plays, among other fairs, in a wonderful, atmospheric setting.
Charnwood Museum
The UK is littered with numerous little museum, each sharing a vital part of history. The Charnwood Museum is a famous and family-friendly museum set in the heart of the beautiful Queens Pak in the heart of Loughborough.
The museum is rich with exhibits that reflect the local history and industries. Charnwood Museum has its permanent displays grouped into four areas: The Natural World of Charnwood, Living Off the Land, Coming to Charnwood and Earning a Living.
Why not read: Days out in Leicester
Each category has exhibits from the past and the present, including interactive displays. If you’re tagging your children along and have toddlers below five years, there’s a playroom in the museum that changes based on the season.
The museum also offers various events like gallery games, quizzes, school workshops and children’s workshops.
The Abbey Pumping Station
The Abbey Pumping Station is one of the most bizarre museums you can visit while in Leicester. Locally known as the “Poo Museum,” the station celebrates all things sewage. It’s best described as the museum of science and technology and details the mighty problem Victorian Leicester encountered.
The Abbey Pumping Station was built in 1891 with a 150ft chimney. The station adopted four Woolf steam-powered engines made by Leicester engineers Gimson and Company to pump waste from the city to a treatment works in Beaumont Leys.
The station has since been converted into a museum where you can all about the unique and rare machines that were used to solve one of the biggest problems in Leicester in Victorian times. While here, you will get to see what Victorian toilet and roman water pipes looked like. You will also get a chance to see the action that takes place when you flush the toilet courtesy of a see-through loo.
Newark Houses Museum
The Newark Houses Social History and regimental museum consist of two of the most exciting and historic houses in Leicester; Wygston’s Chantry House and Skeffington House.
The museum tells the story of contemporary Leicester and the history of the Royal Leicester Regiment. Part of the museum displays is a cinema experience, a collection of toys from Tudor times to the present day and a play area where children can play various games.
The museum tells more about Daniel Lambert, who was Leicester’s famous son and the largest man in Britain, and several pieces from the 1950s inspired by Wharf Street.
Conclusion
Even with a limited budget, there’s plenty you can do in Leicester, and some of it is free but still offers plenty of fun for you and the family. These five places won’t cost you a penny to visit, and there are more free places you can visit while in Leicester.